Dolphins’ GM Jeff Ireland recently apologized for asking then-NFL prospect Dez Bryant in a pre-draft interview about whether or not his mother was ever a prostitute.
From Yahoo! Sports.com:
“My job is to find out as much information as possible about a player that I’m consider drafting. Sometimes that leads to asking in-depth questions.
“Having said that, I talked to Dez Bryant and told him I used poor judgment in one of the questions I asked him. I certainly meant no disrespect and apologized to him.
“I appreciate his acceptance of that apology and I told him I wished him well as he embarks on his NFL career.”
Some blogs are questioning why this is even a story, but it is a story and it’s a situation that is problematic. It appears as though some NFL front office types (that includes coaches) feel as though they’re entitled to ask whatever they want when it comes to interviewing prospects. They feel as though since players are paid millions of dollars that nothing is out of bounds or off limits, which is an issue. (Especially when it comes to asking a prospect whether or not his mother had ever slept around for money.)
Ireland’s question was degrading, insulting and completely unnecessary. What was he hoping to accomplish? What if Bryant said yes? Then what? The Dolphins take him off their big board? What does Bryant’s mother have to do with whether or not he can catch passes?
I realize that teams have to do their due diligence when it comes to finding out what kind of character these young men have. And the only way for them to do that is for them to question them about their past.
But at some point, there has to be a line drawn in the sand and I think Ireland crossed it with Bryant.
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